Influence of Light Environment on Deterioration of Mural Paintings in Mogao Cave 285, Dunhuang

摘要

The mural paintings in the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China suffer from deterioration such as changes in color and cracks due to physical environmental factors. In this paper, the influence of the hygrothermal and light environments on the deterioration of mural paintings in cave 285 was examined via several experiments using simulated mural paintings, focusing on the period when the entrance hall collapsed. In the drying experiments, many cracks in the Bengal red, a few in the lapis lazuli, and none in the others were generated. White crystals appeared in all paint layers mixed with salt, and a spotted pattern appeared in the talc substrate to which the saturated NaCl solution was added, and UV irradiation caused the chroma saturation changes to most of the paint layers, showing a significant change in the case of the organic pigments.